Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle
हिमोद्वाहाश्च ता नाड्यो रश्मयस्त्रिशतं पुनः / रश्म्यो मेष्यश्च पौष्यश्च ह्लादिन्यो हिमसर्जनाः / चन्द्रास्ता नामतः सर्वाः पीताभाः स्युर्गभस्तयः
himodvāhāśca tā nāḍyo raśmayastriśataṃ punaḥ / raśmyo meṣyaśca pauṣyaśca hlādinyo himasarjanāḥ / candrāstā nāmataḥ sarvāḥ pītābhāḥ syurgabhastayaḥ
Those channels (nāḍīs) that bear cold are again spoken of as the Moon’s three hundred rays. Among them are Meṣyā and Pauṣyā—cooling in nature and bringing forth frost. All of these are known by the name “Candrāḥ” (lunar rays), and their beams are said to be of a pale-yellow hue.
Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic cosmology as received from the sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by mapping cosmic functions (cooling, frost, radiance) to ordered principles, the verse supports the Purāṇic view that the universe operates through intelligible śakti—ultimately grounded in the Supreme Reality that underlies and governs the cosmic order.
No direct practice is taught here, but the mention of nāḍīs and cooling currents aligns with yogic physiology where lunar (candra) influences are associated with cooling, calming regulation—useful for meditation, prāṇāyāma balance, and cultivating sattva.
The verse is primarily cosmological, yet it fits the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same cosmic order can be read through Vaiṣṇava (lunar/Viṣṇu-preserving rhythm) or Śaiva (śakti-driven regulation) lenses, pointing to a unified governance rather than sectarian separation.